Indian national in Singapore sentenced to 4 years’ jail and 6 cane strokes for molesting woman in mall

Indian National Jailed, Caned For Molesting Woman At Singapore Mall (Representative image)

An Indian national and Singapore permanent resident was sentenced to four years in prison and six strokes of the cane for molesting a woman inside a nursing room at a shopping mall.

The offender, 46-year-old Ankit Sharma, was found guilty of aggravated outrage of modesty for assaulting a 31-year-old technology recruiter at Changi City Point mall on March 1, 2023, according to Channel News Asia.

The victim had met Sharma for the first time that evening after a colleague shared his profile with her. What began as a professional meeting quickly turned unsettling when, over drinks at a bar, Sharma steered the conversation toward sexual topics and asked intrusive personal questions, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim told the court.

When the woman briefly left to use the washroom and returned, Sharma was waiting nearby. He then dragged her into a nursing room, where he forcefully kissed and restrained her while making repeated sexual advances despite her resistance.

Sharma denied wrongdoing, insisting the encounter was consensual and that the woman had suggested going to the nursing room. His defense argued that she willingly engaged with him but grew upset after he commented about her bad breath.

The court rejected this account, agreeing with the prosecution’s assessment that the level of sexual exploitation was “extremely high” and the intrusion “intense and prolonged.” Sharma faced a sentencing range of two to 10 years’ imprisonment plus caning.

While his lawyer requested a reduced term of three to three-and-a-half years with fewer strokes, the judge accepted the prosecution’s recommendation of at least four years in jail and six strokes of the cane.